


Score a Goal, Win My Heart

by fumblingwords



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fluff, Getting Together, I'm Sorry, M/M, Minor Keith/Lance - Freeform, Mutual Pining, allura and keith are soccer players, ends in allura's, im adding content to this ship bc it NEEDS IT, lots of italics, starts in nyma's pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-05 19:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14625792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fumblingwords/pseuds/fumblingwords
Summary: "This is my spot," Nyma proudly announced, sliding into one of the couches, Allura sitting across from her. "But when I'm studying I move there, because it's quieter; less noise from outside." And she pointed at an empty table way at the back of the diner. Allura smiled and continued admiring the decor and the ambience, and maybe she also marveled at how the soft orange rays from the sign outside combined with the yellow of the indoor lights hit Nyma just right, bathing her in an early, artificial sunset emphasizing the sharpness of her cheekbones, the point of her nose, the stark purple hue of her eyes—"You look ethereal too, you know."Allura blinked, eyes widening at Nyma, who had this soft smile on her face, fond and shy, different from all those confident smirks she usually throws.





	Score a Goal, Win My Heart

Waking up with a pounding headache was the absolute worst.  
  
She could already feel the scolding that's bound to happen once she makes an appearance, but honestly, she doesn't care. If she could just burrow into her sheets for at least _five more minutes_ —  
  
"Rise and shine, Nyma."  
  
Sunlight shone through her window and she winced and pulled the sheets over her head, only to have them pulled back again, exposing her to the brightness that only worsened her headache. She opened one eye and groaned as she saw who dared wake her up.  
  
"Fuck off, Lance."  
  
The brunette chuckled, poking Nyma in the sides. "No can do. It's Monday, you have to get up because you have class in like, half an hour."  
  
She huffed and slapped away his hands that were still poking, and sat up. The action made her head swim, so she groaned once again and put her head in her hands. She could feel the bed rise a little when Lance stood up, and seconds later a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol were handed to her.  
  
"What would you do without me?" he asked, grinning. She rolled her eyes and popped one pill into her mouth, then grabbed the glass and drank.  
  
"Please. It's a known fact you would crash and burn if it weren't for me," Nyma retorted.  
  
"Touché."  
  
She pushed away her sheets, standing up and stretching. She wondered for a moment how Lance managed to get into her room, before she realized her mother must have let him in, since they sometimes walked together to school. He went out and waited in the living room as she put on fresh clothes and did the necessary preparations for the day.  
  
"What even happened to you last night?" Lance asked when she was already downstairs.  
  
"Rolo threw a party—"  
  
"I know he did, I was there, remember?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Right. And you were too busy checking out Kogane the entire time."  
  
"I was not!"  
  
"Sure you were. Anyway, I had a shot too many I guess."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And what?"  
  
He waggled his eyebrows. "Did you make out with anyone?"  
  
Sweet Jesus, this boy. "No, Lance. Can we go now?"  
  
He threw his hands up in surrender. "Alright, fine. Let's go. I have a class with Iverson, ugh."  
  
"R.I.P. in pieces, my dude."  
  
"You're one to talk," Lance shot back as they walked, "you're already late. I still have around ten minutes before my class starts."  
  
"Good thing we live pretty near. Hathwood will have my head on a stake," Nyma groaned.  
  
"R.I.P. in pieces, my dude."  
  
"Shut up, McClain. I'll see you at lunch."  
  
He nodded and walked away once they arrived at school, leaving her to hasten to her classroom. When she went inside, the gaze of her teacher, Mrs. Hathwood, and the rest of the class was so intense she could physically feel it.  
  
"Nyma."  
  
"Mrs. Hathwood."  
  
"You're late."  
  
"Oh, you think?"  
  
Snickers could be heard around the room. Hathwood fixated a cold glare on her. "And what excuse do you have now?"  
  
"I could tell you I was vomiting but it's not like you would listen and consider whatever I say, right?"  
  
Hathwood's face turned so red, Nyma had to cough to hide a laugh.  
  
"Since you seem so proud of yourself, why don't you answer this equation on the board? I gave it as homework yesterday, surely you would've done it?"  
  
She wanted to smack that smug smile off of her teacher's face as she looked at the whiteboard. It took a while for her to register the numbers and letters written; she still had a bit of a headache, damn it.  
  
"B is equal to seventy-eight?"  
  
Hathwood sneered. "First you come in late to my class, and now you're unprepared too? Although I don't know why I even expected otherwise from _you_ , of all people."  
  
She rolled her eyes and finally walked to her seat. To be fair, she isn't always that snappy and sarcastic towards her teacher. But hey, what else would you expect from a cranky, hungover girl and a teacher who's been picking on her since day one?  
  
"That's another detention for you, Nyma. I'm honestly considering dropping you from my class."  
  
"But you can't, because I actually score rather well in all your tests."  
  
Now, Nyma was actually smart. She performed great, academic-wise. Her behavior is the only thing that needed to be addressed. She was trying, really she was, but Hathwood grating on her nerves every single day was not helping.  
  
She looked over at the window saw the field occupied by the varsity soccer team. It seemed like they were training, and she spotted Keith Kogane (with whom Lance has a hardcore crush on, however vehemently he may deny it) talking to a girl with dark hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Nyma couldn't see the girl's face clearly since she was mostly facing away from the window, but she was holding a clipboard, showing its contents to Keith. _Probably the team captain then_ , Nyma thought, and diverted her attention back to the matter on hand, which basically means listening to Hathwood drone on and on about trigonometric functions. Hooray.  
  
She had four more subjects after this before lunch. Double hooray.  
  
***  
  
"End my suffering."  
  
Those were Nyma's first words upon sitting down on their usual lunch table. She sat with Lance and his best friends, Hunk and Pidge. The two were wary of her at first due to her outward behavior, but have grown comfortable as time passed by and they got to know her better.  
  
"What did Hathwood do now?" Pidge asked.  
  
"Sent me to detention."  
  
"Yikes," Lance said as he sat down beside Hunk. Nyma and Pidge were sitting across from them. "Was it for being late again?"  
  
"That and because I didn’t answer correctly the homework she gave. Of course the rest of my subjects this morning just had to be shitty as well, so today’s a great day."  
  
"I’m so sorry you had to go through that," Hunk said, and brought out a container. "I made some cookies yesterday, good thing I brought them since it looks like all of us need a stress reliever. That physics test squeezed my brain dry."  
  
"Tell me about it, I felt like I was gonna spontaneously combust in the middle of taking it," Lance agreed as he grabbed one and immediately took a bite. "Oh man, this is good. Heaven as always, Hunk."  
  
"You can never go wrong with Hunk’s creations," Pidge said before getting one as well. "I can’t wait to prove my programming teacher wrong later. I managed to manipulate this string of code that he said can’t be reconfigured or modified."  
  
"Only you, Pidge, only you could accomplish something like that." Nyma replied, and Pidge smiled at her, then suddenly turned her gaze towards a group of people. Her smile grew wider.  
  
"Hey Lance, look! It’s your boyfriend!"  
  
Lance almost choked on the cookie he was eating. "Shut _up_ , Pidge! He’s not my boyfriend!"  
  
"Not yet, anyway."  
  
Lance blushed, and the rest of the occupants in the table laughed. Nyma looked at where Keith was, and saw the soccer team sat together, eating and laughing while also looking like they were planning.  
  
"Do they always sit together at lunch? I never noticed," Nyma asked.  
  
"No, I think it’s just when they have an important game, since they need all the time they can to plan and all that," Hunk observed. She nodded, and noticed the girl she saw earlier, the one she suspected was the team captain. Judging by how the players were attentively listening to whatever she was saying, that suspicion was confirmed.  
  
She could see the other girl’s face now. She had sharp features, and damn were they symmetrical.  
  
She was really, _really_ , pretty.  
  
Nyma faced her friends again and continued eating. She spent the rest of the lunch period paying attention to her friends’ stories, and adding her own inputs; Lance’s story was about his first failed relationship, Hunk told the one time he forgot to include cheese and salt in this one recipe, and Pidge shared how she and her brother Matt hacked the school website a year ago on April 20 to change the tagline on the top of the site to "blaze responsibly, kids". They never got caught.  
  
Nyma may or may not have sneaked glances to the team captain as well.  
  
"Hey guys, do you know the name of the team captain?" she finally asked.  
  
"That's Allura," Hunk replied immediately. Lance nodded.  
  
"Oh yeah, Allura. I used to have a crush on her last year. It lasted for like, 8 months, I think?"  
  
"Yeah, remember when you used to flirt with her nonstop? You always tried to ask her out and she rejected you every time," Pidge added. Nyma laughed and decided to ask further.  
  
"Do you still talk or?"  
  
"Yeah, we're pretty close now, and when I realized the crush was slowly going away the flirting just turned more playful and kind of an inside joke already."  
  
"What's she like?"  
  
Lance narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you want to know?"  
  
"Just curious."  
  
A smirk slowly graced the other's features, and Nyma wanted to hide. "You're interested aren't you?"  
  
_Damn it McClain._  
  
The bell signaling the end of lunch rang, and they said their goodbyes, proceeding to their next class. Nyma stole one last glance at the soccer team captain— Allura, she reminded herself, and looked away just as quickly before getting her stuff and walking out. So maybe she was a bit interested; that doesn’t mean she’s gonna actually pursue her. It’s just one of those simple moments of seeing someone really attractive and becoming curious. No big deal.  
  
She realized that her textbook for the next class was in her room, forgotten due to her rushing that morning.  
  
_Great. Just fucking great. The universe really is out to get me today._  
  
***  
  
Afternoon classes passed by in a blur, and before she knew it, Nyma was in detention. She was still pissed at Hathwood for immediately sending her here. The teacher could’ve let her off with a warning first, but of course she set out to make Nyma’s life a living hell. Good thing she wasn’t alone; two others were sent here too. The room they were currently in probably wasn’t used much, if the tables cluttered with folders and clearbooks and piles of paper scattered everywhere were anything to go by. It’s most likely a storage-slash-detention room at this point.  
  
She tried to entertain herself by taking out her notebook and doodling randomly, or writing something over and over again. _School sucks. I hate everyone. School sucks. I hate everyone. School sucks._ By the tenth doodle of Hathwood in devil's horns, Nyma grew bored again. She could've talked to the other two, but the girl was asleep and the guy seemed so invested in his book that Nyma didn't even bother striking a conversation. The door opened and Nyma's head whipped up to look at the newcomer.  
  
No way.  
  
Allura walked in, eyes scanning the room, going over the two students, before landing her gaze on Nyma who, in turn, is trying to keep a calm composure because oh my god it's cute soccer team captain? In detention?  
  
_Maybe the universe decided to have mercy on me after all._  
  
"So what did you do that made them send you here?" Nyma finally asked.  
  
"Oh, no, I'm not here for detention," Allura replied. "I'm here to get some folders. And you? Why are you here?"  
  
"You know Hathwood? She’s always got a bone to pick when it comes to me. So here I am."  
  
Allura smiled. "That’s quite a reason. You're Nyma, right? One of Lance's close friends? I don't know why he didn't introduce us sooner, considering we've both been his friends for quite some time now."  
  
She chuckled, although internally she was panicking, _holy shit cute girl knows me how does she know me_ repeatedly thumping inside her head. "Yeah, that's me. And I honestly have no idea either. Maybe he's trying to keep us apart for fear of ganging up on him."  
  
"That's most probably why. Anyway, I have to deliver these folders now. See you around, I guess? And I hope we get the chance to talk more. Dig as much blackmail material for our friends as possible." Allura smiled once more, took the folders and walked out, leaving Nyma wide eyed and shocked.  
  
When detention ended, Nyma immediately took out her phone.  
  
  
**To: kogane’s (soon) boyfriend**  
  
_guess who i just talked to_  
  
  
Still, this was no big deal. Nyma was just overwhelmed that she interacted with the cute girl she's been seeing the whole day. That's all.  
  
***  
  
"Allura told me about all the pick up lines you used on her," Nyma told Lance one day as she plopped down beside him, while he was already wolfing down his lunch.  
  
"Didn't eat breakfast," he explained when he caught her staring, and she made an "ah" sound. "Wait, so you guys actually continued talking after the day you texted me about meeting her for the first time?"  
  
"Yeah," Nyma replied. "Around two or three days after that conversation we managed to talk again about school stuff, and then exchanged numbers. We've been talking for like, three weeks, I guess?"  
  
Lance snorted. "You guess? You're not sure?"  
  
"You know I don't really keep track of precise time measurements, you dick," she said, slapping Lance's arm and giving a smug smile when he let out a cry of pain.  
  
"Time—"  
  
"Is a social construct. We _know_ , Pidge," Lance rolled his eyes and chuckled. Said gremlin grinned and shrugged. "Just saying."  
  
"So, back to the topic on hand. That's all you talked about? My charming yet failed attempts at wooing her?"  
  
"Charming my ass," Nyma retorted. "But no, that wasn't all." It was silent for a full minute.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"What else did you talk about then?"  
  
"Why do you need to know?" She was suddenly flustered. There really wasn't much for them to talk about anyways. Aside maybe from the interesting events Nyma saw at the parties she attended, how Allura got into soccer, school, grades, personal interests and opinions about various stuff (they even debated on which brand of chocolate was the best), and even exchanged book, movie, and song/artist suggestions. Again, not much to talk about.  
  
Lance put his hands up in surrender. "I was just wondering, is all. No need to get so defensive."  
  
"I was not being defensive!"  
  
"There it is again."  
  
"Ugh, I hate you."  
  
"Love you too!"  
  
They continued eating in silence, until Nyma noticed the soccer team gathered together again. Allura had her hair down this time, waves cascading down her shoulders, face alight as she gestured and talked, and Nyma felt her stomach drop.  
  
_Goddamit, Allura._  
  
She might have stared a moment too long, because Lance suddenly cleared his throat a little too loudly and she turned to him so fast she might have gotten whiplash. "You like her, don't you?"  
  
Nyma cursed the fact that as much as Lance is oblivious to his own feelings and to others' feelings toward _him_ , he has a keen sense for recognizing a person's feelings for someone else.  
  
"What made you get that idea?"  
  
"You aren't exactly subtle, Nyma," Hunk pointed out. "First you started asking about her, and then you two started talking. Now that doesn't necessarily mean you automatically like someone if you do that, but still. We've seen the way you react when we mention her."  
  
"Also, you look at her the same way Lance looks at Keith." Pidge added, earning a sound of protest from both of them.  
  
Nyma begged to differ. First of all, Lance was practically smitten with the other boy. In her case, she was attracted to Allura, that much is true, but that was all it was: mere attraction.  
  
She said that thought at loud, and though she enjoyed Lance's sputtering at the first part, Hunk's next statement made her stop.  
  
"Are you trying to convince us or yourself?"  
  
_Yes_ , she wanted to reply. "I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything. I’m just stating facts." The rest of them laughed, much to her annoyance, and Hunk patted her on the back as they stood up and fixed their things. Now it was Lance’s turn to grin smugly at her. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."  
  
Nyma was muttering about how he should sleep with one eye open tonight when she felt a tug at her arm. "Nyma!"  
  
_Speak of the devil,_ she thought. _Or more like, speak of the ange_ —  
  
"Allura! Hey," she greeted, interrupting her own train of thought. She looked much more beautiful than a while ago, and Nyma realized with a start that it was because she was up close now.  
  
_Are you trying to convince us or yourself?_  
  
"So, you know about our match against the Galrans, right?" Allura asked, and Nyma nodded. Of course she knew about the upcoming game against the infamous rival school. Allura has been ranting about it to her, and even Lance was talking about it, for obvious reasons. "It’s a month away," she continued as they walked, "and we’re all so tense. Coach Ulaz has been pressuring us, especially me, and he says we have to really focus on training but at the same time not too much that we’ll be spent on the actual day. And we’re always talking strategy so I’m just hoping it’s gonna be good enough, but we’re all so nervous because what if it doesn’t work since the Galrans are a really strong opponent and what if they see through us and we fail and—"  
  
"Hey, listen," Nyma cut her off. She also knew Allura tended to ramble when she’s either really excited or nervous (Allura personally told her that) and right now it’s apparent that she’s feeling both. "Whatever happens in that game, I’m sure the team is gonna give their absolute best. You guys have been training nonstop and, like you said, talking strategy, so all of that will pay off for sure. It’ll be a really intense game, but the victory will be yours. Why wouldn’t it, with you and Kogane leading the team?"  
  
"You’re saying that ‘cause you’re biased," Allura laughed, and Nyma shrugged and smiled.  
  
"Maybe. But if there’s one thing I know about this game that is definitely true and not because of loyalties, is that you will kick tons of asses out there."  
  
Allura grinned and...was that a blush? She was pretty sure Allura just blushed and she bit her lip trying to maintain a neutral face because holy shit she looks so cute and Nyma might _melt_.  
  
"Anyway, I was wondering...are you going to watch the game?"  
  
She pondered for a moment. She didn’t exactly hate school varsity games; she found them cool, but she wasn’t as invested in it as others are. She’s only watched a total of four or five matches since she started going to this school, and some of them were only because Lance, Pidge, and Hunk made her come with.  
  
But one look at Allura's brown, pleading eyes, and she could feel herself caving in. Of course things are different now, right?  
  
"Yeah, I’ll go," she finally replied, and because she was feeling playful and maybe a little bit bold, "I’ll even cheer for you. If you hear someone screaming your name, that would be me." She winked. Allura played along, smirking.  
  
"I’ll be looking forward to that, okay?"  
  
"You bet."  
  
***  
  
Allura still had this small smile on her face when she approached her teammates that afternoon for training.  
  
"You look happy."  
  
"Thank you, Captain Obvious."  
  
Keith chuckled, sitting down on the grass and started to stretch. "What happened? Did a test got cancelled or something?"  
  
"Oh, it's nothing. Just excited for the game, is all."  
  
"Even more excited since your crush is gonna be there to watch you?"  
  
She faced him, wide eyed. _How did he—?_  
  
"I tend to notice the little things, you know that, Allura," Keith replied to her unspoken question.  
  
"So you know who it is then?"  
  
He shrugged. "I may have an idea. Does her name start with the letter Nyma?"  
  
"How did you— you know what, I'm not even gonna ask anymore," she shook her head, but the smile was still evident. She started stretching too, and mentally reviewed the tactics they were going to practice.  
  
"I feel a bit betrayed though, you didn't tell me the details," Keith said after a few minutes.  
  
"There wasn't much to it, anyway," she replied. "We just met at the detention room— I was getting some folders and she was there— then she started a conversation."  
  
"But you knew her before then?"  
  
"Kind of, she's friends with the trio."  
  
At this, he perked up a bit. "By trio—"  
  
"I meant Hunk, Pidge, and Lance, yes." Allura finished, smirking a little.  
  
Keith nodded, trying to look nonchalant even though Allura could clearly see through his feigned casualness. "You should just ask him out already, you know. You've been dancing around each other for months. It's getting tiring."  
  
"No we haven't," he mumbled, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his tone.  
  
"Yes you have."  
  
"Why are we suddenly talking about me? We were focused on _your_ love life, last I checked."  
  
"There's no love life to talk about for me," she said.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "And you say I'm the one dancing around my feelings."  
  
"But I'm not!" She was only half right, though. She knew she was attracted to Nyma even before they officially met; Lance had mentioned her a few times in conversation, and Allura also knew she often joined Lance, Hunk, and Pidge during lunch.  
  
The attraction only deepened once they talked more. Nyma was a force to be reckoned with according to the teachers; "wild" and "reckless" were often used to describe her, and Allura silently agreed, but only partially. Yes, she was intimidating, a bit scary even, but after weeks of talking Allura figured she was similar to Keith; portraying an image of badass-ery but can actually also be a real softie once they relax around you. Allura sometimes got the urge to just up and tell her about the crush, but hesitated because surely someone like Nyma would've had a boyfriend already, or is seeing someone in general.  
  
So you can imagine her surprise when, during one phone call, Nyma told her that she was single and oh, did she mention that she was gay?  
  
Allura had paused for a bit at that, trying to process the newfound information. A flicker of hope made its way to the back of her mind, but she shut it down just as quickly. _I'm out of her league._  
  
But then the subtle flirting started, and Allura doesn't know what to think. She was happy and confused because was it play flirting or was it real? Does Nyma like her or is that just how she talks to her friends?  
  
"We have a game to prepare for," she suddenly said, effectively changing the subject and avoiding Keith's inquisitive glance, "so let's concentrate on training for now, please?"  
  
***  
  
The day of the game arrived, and the whole team’s nerves were all over the place. Allura and Keith were giving out final reminders in the sidelines as the bleachers were slowly filled with students from both schools. "Remember, we’ve worked hard to make it to this game, in no way should we let it all go to waste." Allura said, and they nodded and cheered.  
  
As the team set out to talk to their friends in the bleachers a few minutes before the game, her eyes scanned the people cheering and talking amongst themselves, before landing on a certain spot in the front row. She nudged Keith’s arm and pointed. "Look, there they are."  
  
Apparently the group spotted them too, because they started waving their arms, beckoning the two over.  
  
"Good luck!" Lance exclaimed when they got near. "I know you guys will do amazing." He grinned and his eyes flickered to Keith, who smiled back.  
  
"Hunk and I wanted to be announcers at first, but apparently we might be 'too biased' and 'lay it thick on the trash talking'," Pidge huffed.  
  
"Well, are they wrong?" Keith asked in an amused tone. Hunk laughed. "Maybe, maybe not."  
  
Allura turned to the only one in the group who hasn’t spoken yet. "Aren’t you gonna wish us luck?"  
  
"I’m gonna have to to save my voice if I’ll be cheering and shouting, aren’t I?" Nyma shot back, smirking.  
  
"Oh, right, we made a deal. I’ll be expecting to hear that voice of yours even when I’m across the field."  
  
"Trust me, it’ll be loud." A wink.  
  
Allura missed this, missed their banter-slash-lowkey highkey flirts. Since the team spent more and more time training as the game got closer and closer, and Allura had to make time for her academic studies as well, while Nyma had her own studies to stress about, they hadn’t seen or talked to each other much. She looked to her left, where Hunk and Pidge were whispering and pointing at some members of the rival team, and Keith and Lance were having a conversation of their own, light blushes on both their faces. Allura had to chuckle at that. Nyma looked at them too and smiled. "Let’s hope they finally get the balls to ask each other out."  
  
"Yeah," Allura agreed, facing the other girl again. Nyma wasn’t really all that dressed up, just a thin, light blue shirt and black pants. Her hair, dark brown starting from the roots that slowly faded into lighter shades, was in two braids today, as opposed to the usual ponytail. A simple getup, but she looked, well, ethereal.  
  
Nyma suddenly turned so red, and the others turned towards them with wide eyes, and _oh my did I just say that out loud?_  
  
"I- you don’t look so bad yourself," she answered, but before Allura could say something Coach Ulaz called the team, and she and Keith had to go back. "Well, uh, see you guys later!" she said, and took Keith by the arm.  
  
"What was that about?" he asked as they walked back to the team.  
  
"Nothing! I just...slipped, I guess."  
  
"Mhm, I can see that. You never just tell someone they looked ethereal out of the blue."  
  
"I know, I know," she grumbled. She had to worry about that later, right now there was a match to win.  
  
Games against the Galrans were always the most intense and exhausting ones that Allura has played, in her opinion. From the moment they picked sides, tension filled the air. Allura fixated a cold stare to their captain, a tall, short haired girl named Acxa. "It’s a pleasure meeting you...again."  
  
"It’ll be a pleasure once we leave this field with victory in our hands."  
  
"Sorry, no can do."  
  
The first half started, and the ball went flying. Allura’s team was great, but their opponents were quick and strategic; they knew how, when, where, and even who to anticipate. Each time one team scores, the other retaliates with a goal of their own, resulting in a neck and neck match. By the end of the first half, the scores are 6-8, with the Galrans taking the lead.  
  
During halftime, they wiped their faces and rehydrated as Coach Ulaz gave out instructions, explaining how they were good at offense but needed some work on defense, and explained the best play for them to execute. They heard the whistle signifying the end of halftime, and went back out to the field. Allura sought out her friends, and found them jumping up and down, cheering for the team. What surprised, her, though, was Nyma making eye contact with her, grinning, and then—  
  
"GO ALLURA! GO ALTEA! GO ALLURA! GO ALTEA! GO ALLURA! KICK SOME ASS OUT THERE!"  
  
She did it. She actually did it. Allura laughed, newfound energy coursing through her. Second half started, and she played with renewed vigor, kicking and passing and stealing and scoring, and though the game got more heated by the minute, she was on _fire_ , manipulating her opponents into thinking she’s going this way then actually doing the opposite. The shouts from her schoolmates— especially one in particular— motivated her and added to her drive.  
  
"YOU GOT THIS GUYS! WE BELIEVE IN YOU! BRING IT HOME FOR ALTEA! GO ALLURA! YOU CAN DO IT!"  
  
Her team also gave it even more than their all, and there they were smiling at one another, as the ball passed the rival goalie once, twice, thrice.  
  
The ending result was 14-13.  
  
The Altean crowd stood and went wild, and the team came together in one big hug. Coach Ulaz approaching them with a big smile on his face, and then he was in the hug, too.  
  
They all got changed pretty quick, making plans for a celebratory party that night at one of the teammates’ house. They went outside and spread the word, and the students cheered even more, if that was possible. Keith and Allura immediately approached their friends, and were greeted with huge hugs and shouts of "Holy shit congratulations!"  
  
"There’s a party at Thom’s house later, are you all coming?" Keith asked. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk said yes, and they looked at Nyma, who looked at Allura. "I actually have in mind this really cool diner…"  
  
Allura blinked. Was she asking her out? "O-oh, okay, sure let's go."  
  
"But you’ll catch up at the party, right?" Lance asked, and there was a knowing glint in his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, we'll see you guys later," Nyma said. She grabbed Allura's hand and led the way to her car, while the latter tried hard to contain her blush.  
  
"Where are you taking me?"  
  
"I told you, a diner."  
  
"I know, but where exactly?"  
  
"It's just this place I discovered months ago. The food's good and sometimes I even go there to study since the atmosphere's really quiet and chill."  
  
Some twists and turns later, Nyma parked at an open space, and turned off the engine. "Here we are."  
  
Allura glanced up at the orange LED sign. _Rebel Diner_. "Nice name."  
  
"Right? Wait till you meet Olia. She's the sweetest."  
  
They stepped inside, and Allura was startled to see that it wasn't that packed. In fact, it was almost empty. It was like any other diner, but the Rebel Diner's brand was apparently the countless models of Star Wars-worthy ships adorning the walls and the ceiling.  
  
"It's like we're in space."  
  
"I told you so," Nyma said. "Awesome."  
  
A lady who she could guess was in her early 30s met them with a warm smile. "Hello Nyma, and Nyma's friend..."  
  
"Allura."  
  
"Allura! What a lovely name. Sounds very royal."  
  
She blushed at that. Her father actually had told her she was named after his favorite princess in this one tv show, but she forgot the name of the show itself.  
  
"So, is it gonna be the usual, Nyma?"  
  
"You know it."  
  
"And Allura?"  
  
"Um, I'll have what she's having," she answered.  
  
Olia nodded and proceeded to the kitchen. Nyma grabbed her hand once more, this time maneuvering them to a table that's conveniently located near the door and the counter. "This is my spot," Nyma proudly announced, sliding into one of the couches, Allura sitting across from her. "But when I'm studying I move there, because it's quieter; less noise from outside." And she pointed at an empty table way at the back of the diner. Allura smiled and continued admiring the decor and the ambience, and maybe she also marveled at how the soft orange rays from the sign outside combined with the yellow of the indoor lights hit Nyma just right, bathing her in an early, artificial sunset emphasizing the sharpness of her cheekbones, the point of her nose, the stark purple hue of her eyes—

"You look ethereal too, you know."

Allura blinked, eyes widening at Nyma, who had this soft smile on her face, fond and shy, different from all those confident smirks she usually throws.

"Don't remind me," Allura groaned, "I still feel embarrassed for that."

"Don't be. It's fine. And like I said, you don't look so bad yourself. Especially after the game, you were so red and sweaty and your smile was so big. Also, you had this post-game high about you. 'Twas cute."

"I feel like you're just humoring me."

"I would never."

Allura pouted and tried to change the topic, to which Nyma thankfully went along with. They made up for their lost time of talking, updating each other about how the past month has treated them, Nyma's tests and homework and Allura and the team's constant training, and only paused when the food (steak with a side serving of corn and an additional dish of garlic bread, yum) was delivered by Olia, who for some reason spared a knowing glance at Nyma, who then shrugged. Allura pretended not to notice.

"Oh wow— this could actually rival Hunk's cooking," Allura said immediately after taking a bite. "Mmmm, wow. Really good."

Nyma laughed and paid attention to her own platter. Silence ensued between them, both taking their time in appreciating the food, and Allura felt the familiar tug of a thought she's been having for quite a while now.  _Just tell her_ , her brain chided.  _She'll take it well_.

_And if she doesn't? What if I just ruin things by confessing?_

_You won't know if you don't take the leap. Surely there must be_ something _going on_.

She finished eating faster than she expected, mostly because she was exhausted from the game but also because she was, to put it quite lightly, nervous as hell. Her eyes flickered nervously around the diner, before settling on Nyma again, but got caught off guard since the other girl caught her gaze. "Allura, are you alright?" she asked, wiping at her mouth with a napkin, and Allura determinedly restrained herself from staring.

"Yeah, everything's fine, not to worry."

Nyma frowned. "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Nyma put down the napkin and leaned towards her, propping up her elbows on the table and resting her chin on folded hands. "Tell me what's bothering you. I'm sure whatever that is, it's been eating at you for a while."

"Don't we have a party to attend to? It's already," a quick glance at her watch, "five-thirty. The team might be looking for me, for us."

"So? Technically we're both done. I can just ask Olia for the bill and we're good to go."

"Then let's go!"

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." Nyma's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm worried, okay? If you bottle that up it'll just end badly."

"Might've already ended before it even started," Allura mumbled.

"What? Allura, please tell me."

"I'm just...sorting out some emotions. You see, I'm not sure if I should tell the person I like that I like them."

She saw her lean back ever so slightly, her face becoming unreadable. "Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe you should. I mean, what have you got to lose, right?" But there was a hint of hurt to her tone that made Allura wince.

"You really think so?"

"Mhm."

"Okay, I guess I'll...text them?"

"You're not gonna tell them in person?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to get a word out."

"You, afraid? Highly unlikely, you're way braver than I could ever be, Allura. But if you insist, then I guess texting works. And tell me what they replied."

Allura bit her lip and brought out her phone, typed out a message, and before she could lose her nerve, took a deep breath and hit send.  
  
  
**To: nyma ♡**

 _I'm not sure if these feelings of mine are reciprocated, but I just wanted you to now that you're beautiful and strong and kind and amazing and ughhh, I like you. A lot._  
  
  
Nyma's phone lit up, and Allura looked everywhere but at her as she read the message. She heard a gasp, and suddenly a hand gently grabbed her chin, making her face the other girl, the girl she's been pining after. Their faces were so close, and Allura could see how truly vibrant her eyes were, the small freckles across her cheeks, the fullness of her lips, and she was  _gone_. Her heart thumped wildly as Nyma breathed, "I like you too. Damn it, Allura, I thought it was obvious."

"I didn't notice it at all."

Nyma smiled softly, and her eyes fixated on Allura's lips. "Can I kiss you?" she murmured.

Allura may have nodded a little too quickly, because Nyma leaned back, laughing while rubbing her forehead.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, rubbing her own forehead and hissed a little at the pain. "Oh my god I'm so, so, sorry I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, I'm okay, stop fretting," Nyma said, and grabbed her hands, effectively making her pause. "Let's try that again."

Nyma brought her face closer again, this time letting her forehead touch Allura's. "I guess we're girlfriends now, right?"

"Maybe," Allura replied, grinning cheekily. The embarrassment was now replaced with a bout of confidence, and she pressed her lips to Nyma's before the latter could say anything else.

Kissing Nyma went beyond her expectations. Their mouths fit together easily, and Allura managed to taste the barest traces of steak as her tongue explored Nyma's mouth. Everything else faded away, all rational thoughts out the window, as Allura's head was filled with  _Nyma Nyma Nyma_. She angled her head so as to deepen the kiss, and Nyma responded with equal enthusiasm and eagerness. Allura felt like she was dreaming, but it was real and even though her phone's buzzing with texts from her friends, and Olia's most likely waiting by the counter to give them their check, honestly she couldn't care less. Her team won, her friends were relaxed and celebrating, she was kissing the girl she likes...she was pumping with adrenaline and emotions.

After what felt like hours even though it was only ten minutes, she pulled away. Nyma grunted and pulled her back in for another kiss, and as much as she enjoyed it— she could kiss Nyma for days on end, truth be told— she had to grab her shoulders and gently pull her away. "That was...wow," she panted.

"I know, so why did you stop?" Nyma pouted.

Allura pointed towards the counter, where Olia was going over what looked like a checklist. "I think we should pay now."

"Oh. Right." Nyma stood up and headed for the counter, but Allura grabbed her hand.

"Wait, how much is the food? I'll pay for mine." She went to grab her wallet from her bag, but Nyma stopped her.

"You don't have to, it's on me."

"What? No, we should split the bill, I—"

Nyma kissed her cheek, her lips forming their signature smirk when a blush spread across Allura's face. "I want to, okay? Consider it my congratulatory gift, since you guys won."

Allura gave in, slumping back on the couch and watching Nyma walk up to Olia and pay their bill. They talked for a while, and Allura noticed the flustered and apologetic smile Nyma gave the lady.

"She said she was supposed to give us the bill a few minutes ago," Nyma said once she got back to the table, "but she noticed we were otherwise preoccupied, so she resorted to doing inventory first."

"Tell her we're so sorry," Allura said, and Nyma laughed, melodic and pleasant. Allura can't get enough of it.

"I did. She said it's all okay, and also congratulated us. So, let's go to the party?"

"Yeah, sure." She stood up and held Nyma's hand, intertwining their fingers. They looked back and bid their goodbyes at Olia, whose gaze was warm as she gave them both a thumbs up.

When they were outside, Allura took one last look at the sign, now with more love and appreciation for the diner as she was reminded of the events just a few minutes before. The sound of a camera shutter made her snap back to reality, and she turned to see Nyma with her phone out, its back camera facing her.

"What was that for?"

"The lighting was cool, you looked beautiful...perfect opportunity for a photo. Now come on, I'm sure we'll be bombarded with lots of questions when we get to the party."

Allura shook her head, exasperated and fond, and followed her girlfriend— she can actually say that now, can you believe it.

True enough, when they got to Thom's place, they were immediately pounced on by their friends, asking if they finally got their shit together. In answer, they just held up their intertwined hands, and Allura received the second round of congratulations for the day.

And if they stole more kisses here and there, well, nobody can blame them.

After all that's happened, they deserved some downtime.

**Author's Note:**

> So,, I'm back! I actually lacked so much motivation in writing this at first, but thankfully I got inspired enough to whip this up.
> 
> I apologize in advance if I didn't do the characters enough justice aghhh. They're far too great for my measly skills.
> 
> You can find me on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/diangelcs)!!


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